The present invention relates to the design of product packaging.
The design of a package and selection of its components are very critical phases in the development of a new item of packaged goods for sale to industrial or consumer outlets. The selection of the components for a product package is very complex. The components (e.g., substrates, printing inks, primers, lacquers, coatings, and adhesives) used must all meet a series of attributes based on three major factors: appearance, performance, and protection.
The package materials should be selected so that they will function efficiently in the convertors"" manufacturing processes such as printing, coating, and laminating. Later, on the packaging line, the packaging materials must function in the equipment that forms, fills, and seals the packages. Physical characteristics such as tensile and burst strength, stiffness, elongation, softening, and melting points play a vital role in these processes.
The final package should appeal to the user. The outward appearance of the package will strongly influence the user in terms of effectiveness and value of the contents. The aesthetics of the package are a strong selling tool, particularly in the consumer goods markets. The appearance of the package is often the deciding factor in a buying decision in a supermarket. To ensure that the package projects the desired image, such factors as color, texture, appearance, and integrity are significant.
The final package should also be designed to deliver the product to the user in a pristine state so that it retains its appeal and function as long as possible. The package should protect the contents from contamination from outside pollutants, and should be made from components that meet all the appropriate food and drug safety laws. The final package should withstand a wide variety of physical and chemical conditions to ensure the users"" safety and the contents"" purity.
The selection of components capable of meeting such a wide range of attributes at an economical cost is a major task for most convertors and their customersxe2x80x94the consumer packaged goods manufacturers. The optimization of the selected components is a long, iterative process which may involve extensive, multiple shelf-life tests on possible structures before a suitable combination is approved. This is wasteful in terms of economics, time, and human resources.
The present invention is directed to a system that addresses some of the limitations and problems of the prior art. In particular, the present invention is directed to an integrated system that enables clients to design packages for consumer or industrial goods that meet their specific needs. The system relies on a cooperative effort by the suppliers of the components used in the manufacture of packages as well as the converters who perform package-manufacturing processes using those components. These suppliers and converters will provide information on their products and services in an agreed upon standardized format so that the system will be able to reject non-conforming products. The system generates one or more recommendations, referred to as packaging solutions, that identify those components and processes meeting the desired attributes entered by the user.
The present invention will reduce the iterations involved in prior-art procedures used to design a new package, saving both time and money. The cooperation between the suppliers and converters, and their use of common standards, will simplify the design process and reduce the possibilities for error. The resulting optimum package design will also reduce wastage of the packaged products due to breakage, spillage, or shelf-life limitations.
In one embodiment, the present invention is, at a server of a package design system, a computer-implemented method for generating a packaging solution for a proposed package for a client, comprising the steps of (a) providing a component database for a plurality of different available components from a plurality of different suppliers, wherein the component database identifies a set of characteristics for each available component; (b) providing a process database for a plurality of different available manufacturing processes from one or more different converters, wherein the process database identifies a set of characteristics for each available manufacturing process; (c) receiving a set of desired attributes for the proposed package; and (d) generating the packaging solution by comparing the set of desired attributes to the characteristics stored in the component and process databases.
In another embodiment, the present invention is an internet-based distributed computer system for generating a packaging solution for a proposed package for a client, comprising (a) a server configured to maintain (1) a component database for a plurality of different available components from a plurality of different suppliers, wherein the component database identifies a set of characteristics for each available component; and (2) a process database for a plurality of different available manufacturing processes from one or more different converters, wherein the process database identifies a set of characteristics for each available manufacturing process; and (b) at least one remote client node configured to transmit a set of desired attributes for the proposed package, wherein the server generates the packaging solution by comparing the set of desired attributes to the characteristics stored in the component and process databases.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention is a server for an internet-based distributed computer system for generating a packaging solution for a proposed package for a client, wherein the system further comprises one or more remote client nodes, the server comprising (a) a server processor; (b) a component database for a plurality of different available components from a plurality of different suppliers, wherein the component database identifies a set of characteristics for each available component; and (c) a process database for a plurality of different available manufacturing processes from one or more different converters, wherein the process database identifies a set of characteristics for each available manufacturing process; and the server processor receives a set of desired attributes for the proposed package from a remote client node corresponding to the client and generates the packaging solution by comparing the set of desired attributes to the characteristics stored in the component and process databases.